Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The Case for Re-Regulating The Airline Industry

June 12 - Wired (Blog) - No one would accuse Bob Crandall of being shy. The legendary former CEO of American Airlines, who is widely credited with developing the hub-and-spoke system and inventing the frequent flier program, always speaks his mind. And the aviation world is abuzz with what he's been saying lately.

Crandall considers the deregulation of commercial aviation a huge failure and says it's time to bring back government oversight of fares and pricing. "It's time to acknowledge that airlines are more like utilities than ordinary businesses," he said during a speech at the Wings Club, a cushy meeting spot for the industry's heaviest hitters. "We have failed to confront the reality that unfettered competition just doesn't work very well in certain industries, as aptly demonstrated by our airline experience." Read More.

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